Here’s what you need to know about the UCLA men’s basketball team’s first season – Orange County Register

LOS ANGELES – The UCLA Bruins will need answers to a lot of questions heading into the 2024-25 season. Ambiguity surrounds the rotation as the Bruins added nine new players to help them adapt to the challenges they will face in their first season in the Big Ten.

How will UCLA handle the schedule shift associated with Big Ten play?

Head coach Mick Cronin is concerned about the accumulation of trips as the season progresses. But his biggest concern, he said, with the Bruins moving from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten is the extra day student-athletes will have to spend away from school, away from home, because of how a schedule has been drawn up.

In the Pac-12, games were separated by one day, while in the Big Ten games are played two or three days apart.

“The longer these guys are away from home,” Cronin said, “they lose focus. They tend to drift a little.”

The end of these trips could be a sloppy one for the Bruins as they adjust to a new schedule.

Will the depth cause players to struggle with defining roles?

Depth has been the buzzword of the preseason and Cronin appears to be fed up with it.

“You keep thinking we have all these guys,” he said. “I’m trying to find five guys that can play the way we need them to play to win.”

The red shirts will be taken first. But it is unrealistic to expect that a rotation of more than 10 people will equate to victory. The fact is that the Bruins have more than 10 players who can earn playing time, meaning individual players’ playing time will fluctuate. That being said, it can be difficult for players to understand their role in each game, and clearly defined roles are essential to success in basketball.

The buzz word associated with depth at the moment is sacrifice.

“Not everyone is going to score 20 points, not everyone is going to score more than 10 points,” USC transfer Kobe Johnson said. “But, you know, you have to find what you do best for this team and do it well.”

Essentially, Johnson says, find your role and do it. This is easier said than done when the allocation of minutes is unpredictable.

When will we get an idea of ​​the Bruins’ best offensive and defensive lineups?

Cronin said he has opinions on UCLA’s top lineup on offense and defense. When asked about personnel specifics in these different scenarios, he predictably did not share.

He praised Johnson’s defensive instincts and complemented Oregon State transfer Tyler Bilodeau’s three-level performance.

Otherwise, predictions about how these respective groups will develop are complete guesses. Especially since Cronin will continue to work UCLA’s upcoming non-conference home games.